Jagdish Patel is a multi-disciplinary artist and writer. He is a PhD candidate at Coventry University, Centre for Memory, Arts, and Communities, researching the intersections between social practice and anti-racism, focusing on the Midlands between the 1960s and the 1980s.

His work centres on visual art, archives, and performance, with an interest in analysing their role in relation to care, anti-racist practices, political science, and Black studies. He supports a number of grassroots organisations, including the human rights charity, Monitoring Group, and the Himmah food bank. He was a founder member of several organisations, including the Nottingham Centre for Photography and Social Engagement and Reframed, a network for Global Majority photographers.

Jagdish Patel has many years of experience working through socially engaged methods in collaboration with diverse communities, including the Gypsy community, Portuguese farmworkers, Asian football clubs, Northern Soul fans, victims of racial violence, Muslim War Veterans, and Punjabi pubs. His exhibitions have been showcased at various venues, including the New Art Exchange in Nottingham, the South Bank Centre, the Wolverhampton Art Gallery, Leicester Museums, and Primary.

  • Commissions

    Presence/Absence and the Melting Snow : Nottingham Arts Mela August 2020

    Food Poverty and Mental Wellbeing : photography stories : Himmah/Arts Council May 2020

    Digital Diaspora : COVID stories from Midlands Black and Asian communities : Reframed/Arts Council June 2020

    Breaking Ground : Race and Community Football. The story of GNG Football Club and Asian football in Leicester (commission by GNG FC) March 2019

    Photography Archives ; Living Memory Project Sep 2019

    AA2A Artist in Residence: De Montefort University Sep 2018

    When the Snow Melts : Muslim Soldiers and the aftermath of war (Commission by Himmah and New Art Exchange, Nottingham) Sep 2018

    Asian Activism in Nottingham (Commission by Primary) June 2018

    Many Rivers to Cross (Commission by University of Wolverhampton) April 2018

    Black Art Movement learning resource (Commission by Nottingham Contemporary)

    Post Brexit Racism by the Monitoring Group/Open Society Foundation (January 2017)

    1976 : The road to anti racism (Commission by the Monitoring Group)

    Desi Pubs (Commission by Creative Black Country)

    Patrin – Gypsy Heritage in the East Midlands by HLF/Derbyshire Gypsy Liaison Group

    No Tears for me my mother : Saluting black service personnel and their families in World War by Nottingham Black Archive (January 2012)

  • Publications

    Travelling world is not arriving 2021

    Southall a living history in 13 photographs (https://discoversociety.org/2019/04/03/southall-1979-a-living-history-in-15-photographs)

    Desi Pubs - Creative Black Country 

    Desi Pubs - Royal Photography Society Documentary Photography Journal March 2017

    Coming of Age : 1976 and the road to anti racism edited by Jagdish Patel and Suresh Grover (see review here )  2017

    Patrin – Gypsy Heritage in the East Midlands (available at Amazon) 2014

    No Tears for me my mother : Saluting black service personnel and their families in World War II(Introduction) 2014

    Images in : Coming of Age Celebrating 21 years of the Mela by Irna Qureshi (available at Amazon) 2007

  • Exhibitions

    Reclamation 24 June 2023 Surface Gallery, Nottingham

    Breaking Ground : Race and Community Football, Leicester Museums Feb-May 2020

    When the Snow Melts : New Art Exchange, Sep-Dec 2019

    Asian Activism in Nottingham : Primary June 2018

    Many Rivers to Cross : Wolverhampton Art Gallery  April 2018

    Art, Activism, Race and Social Justice timeline : part of ‘The Place is Here’ , Nottingham Contemporary 2017

    Desi Pubs : part of Alchemy Festival, Southbank centre, London June 2016

    Boundaries :  at the Society of Artists (Nottingham) July 2014

    Textures of Archive :  at the LCB Depot (Leicester) March 2014

    Human Creates : Human Destroys : at the New Art Exchange, Nottingham July 2013

    Coming of Age : 7 August – 7 November 2010 at the Cartwright Hall Art Gallery Bradford

  • Talks and Exhibitions

    Art and Activism in the West Midlands - symposium at Wolverhampton Art Galley Oct 2019

    Southall Resists - interview with Magnum Photos see link June 2019

    Tutor teaching photography to mental health users - Nottingham Photographers' Hub 2011-2018

    Developing Photography Projects : Off Centre Photo Festival November 2018

    Tackling racial violence 25 years since the death of Stephen Lawrence : House of Commons for the Monitoring Group Feb 2018

    Re-Imagining Brexit Britain, Reflections on the past, present and future : Nottingham Contempoary Nov 2017

    States of America: Photography from the Civil Rights Movement to the Reagan Era. Exhibition walkthrough at Nottingham Contemporary July 2017

    Asian Activism in Nottingham : Walk and talk at Primary, 33 Seely Road Nottingham, NG7 1NU see link June 2017

    The Art of Protest : Goldsmiths University of London March 2017

    Art, Activism, Race and Social Justice : Nottingham Contemporary Feb 2017

    Racial Justice and Photography : Glasgow University: ESRC workshop on Austerity, Racism and Resistance April 2016

    Get Up Stand Up is a collaboration between New Art Exchange and NCCL at Galleries of Justice Museum, exploring the idea of international civil rights.  Aug 2015.